Becker's Hospital Review

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 37 How 1 nurse became Massachusetts' longest- serving healthcare CEO By Madeline Ashley F rom becoming the youngest healthcare CEO in Massachusetts at just 37 years old to becoming the longest-serving healthcare leader in the state, it's hard to believe that Christine Schuster, president and CEO of Concord, Mass.-based Emerson Health, initially had no plans to become a healthcare CEO. Ms. Schuster started her career as a nurse and migrated into healthcare management consulting where she helped with turnaround for hospitals needing to make financial improvements. It was around this time where she felt the tug to become a leader in healthcare. "I had the business experience, but I also understood the critical care nursing side of it because I had been in that role for a long time," Ms. Schuster told Becker's. It was these skills that led to Ms. Schuster's first CEO role at Athol (Mass.) Memorial Hospital, one that made her the youngest hospital leader in the state. Aer about eight months, she moved her skills from Athol to Quincy (Mass.) Medical Center as president and CEO, where she helped the hospital break even aer operating at a $16 million loss. Now, Ms. Schuster has led Emerson Health for nearly 20 years. "People say, 'oh my gosh, don't you get tired of it? Aren't you bored of it?' But if you've really tracked healthcare for the last 25 years, it's anything but boring, it's always exciting," she said. "If you're bored by it, you don't belong in it." In this changing industry, one of the top-of-mind challenges for Ms. Schuster is healthcare workforce. Emerson partners with technical colleges as a training site and associate degree programs for clinical rotations in an effort to expose students to the hospital's culture and recruit and retain them. e hospital has also partnered with the Girl Scouts of Massachusetts to host healthcare career days to attract younger generations to join the industry. Most recently, it held a Taylor Swi-themed career day that featured the pop stars music, bracelets and cookies while the scouts took themed quizzes that were also based on healthcare. When asked what advice she would give to women looking to someday achieve a CEO role in healthcare, Ms. Schuster said you need to believe in yourself. "You have to believe you can do it," she said. "You're going to hit a lot of obstacles on the way. Regroup, find a mentor and really work toward achieving your goals." Referencing the ongoing 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Ms. Schuster equated healthcare to a team sport and encouraged leaders to surround themselves with people who have strong ideas. "If everyone isn't on, doing their thing, playing different roles, you're never going to win," she said. "You need such a blend of skills that no one person possesses." n How these CEOs lead a positive workplace for women By Kristin Kuchno F orty-six hospitals and health systems were named in Forbes' seventh annual America's Best Employers for Women list. Here is what it took to get there, according to two system CEOs. 1. Women in leadership "Knowing and understanding what matters to women is important," said Andrea Walsh, CEO of Bloomington, Minn.-based HealthPartners, highlighting the importance of female leadership. Ric Ransom, CEO of University of Missouri Health Care (Columbia), mentioned the strong women leaders in the system, including its COO, CIO, chief nursing officer and chief quality officer. "Organizations really have to do their best to walk the talk, and having visible, engaged female executives is how that looks," Mr. Ransom said. 2. Active listening to women in the workforce MU Health Care provides opportunities for frontline staff and other team members to engage with leadership through town hall meetings and "coffee with the chiefs," or small group discussions, Mr. Ransom said. MU also has groups such as its Women in Medicine and Medical Sciences program, its chapter of the American Medical Women's Association, and its Women of MU Health Care employee resource group — all of which lend to a positive environment, Mr. Ransom said. 3. Benefits The Forbes' list was compiled from surveys of over 150,000 women employees based on aspects such as work environment, pay equity and parental leave. MU Health Care's paid parental and caregiver leave programs are another contributor to its positive workplace, Mr. Ransom said. HealthPartners similarly prioritizes employee benefits, with offerings such as "Little Partners," which provides children 12 and younger 100% dental coverage, Ms. Walsh said. The system also has well-established policies around breastfeeding, providing designated breastfeeding areas at its facilities and offering employees hospital-grade breast pumps, she said. n

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